There’s always something special about racing on home soil, and the Ipswich Super 440 was no exception as Queensland Raceway welcomed the 2026 Supercars Championship for Round 9 of the calendar. With Matt Stone Racing proudly calling the Gold Coast home, having so many familiar faces, partners, friends, family and supporters trackside made the weekend one to remember. While the on-track results weren’t quite what we had hoped for, we’re incredibly grateful to everyone who came out to cheer on Jack Le Brocq, Zach Bates and the entire MSR crew.
It was a challenging weekend for both of our Camaros, with Jack and the No.4 Sherrin Rentals Camaro finishing 21st in Race 26, 12th in Race 27 and 20th in Race 28. Zach and the No.10 Bendix Racing Camaro crossed the line 19th, 23rd and 16th across the three races respectively. Despite the results, both drivers and their crews continued to fight hard throughout the weekend, with Jack and Zach making the most of every opportunity to move forward around the tricky ‘paperclip’ circuit. “The MSR garage was packed for every session all weekend, which is always awesome to see, but on the other hand it was disappointing that we couldn’t deliver the results we wanted,” said Le Brocq. “The team worked incredibly hard as always and we’ll take the positives and keep pushing towards the next round.”
Zach Bates echoed the sentiment, thanking the local fans and partners for their support while looking ahead to the remaining rounds of the season. “It wasn’t the weekend we were hoping for on track, but nonetheless we’re grateful to have the support of the MSR family, our partners and the fans around us” he said. “We’ll regroup, learn from it and come back stronger.”
While the on-track results may not have gone our way, there was a big win for the team in pit lane, with the Tyrepower Pit Crew delivering a series of excellent stops across the weekend to secure their place in the finals of the 2026 Pit Crew Challenge. This marks the third consecutive year that our pit crew has qualified inside the Top 4, an incredible achievement and a testament to the hard work and consistency of the crew. “The results on track weren’t what we wanted, but there were plenty of positives to take from the weekend, and our pit crew was a real highlight,” said Team Owner Matt Stone. “To qualify in the Top 4 for the Pit Crew Challenge for a third straight year is an awesome achievement and definitely speaks to the hard work our Tyrepower Pit Crew put in behind the scenes week-in, week-out.”
Now, our attention turns to the Enduro season, where Jack Le Brocq and the No.4 Sherrin Rentals Camaro remain firmly in the hunt for a coveted spot inside the Top 10 ahead of the Finals cut-off.
Both of our co-drivers joined the team trackside for a test day following the Ipswich round, clocking crucial laps ahead of the opening Enduro race at The Bend in just a few short weeks. Aaron Seton, who will co-drive the No.10 Bendix Racing Camaro, came off a high after completing his second Wildcard round of the season in the fan-favourite Superior Cranes retro livery, where he secured the Wildcard Cup; as the highest-performing driver across all three Wildcard rounds. Harri Jones, co-driver of the No.4 Sherrin Rentals Camaro, also had plenty to celebrate after taking victory in Round 3 of the Porsche Carrera Cup over the weekend. Unfortunately, Harri’s test day was cut short when a brake failure sidelined the No.4 for the remainder of the day. Thankfully, the car is now back in the capable hands of the MSR crew and will be fully repaired and ready to hit the track when we head to The Bend.
